Dera Sacha Sauda chief held guilty in rape case -Governance Now

Dera Sacha Sauda chief held guilty in rape case

A former follower had accused the dera chief of sexually assaulting her

GN Bureau | August 25, 2017

#Sirsa #sexually exploited #CBI #Gurmeet Ram Rahim #Dera Sacha Sauda #Haryana #Chandigarh

Self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan, who heads Dera Sacha Sauda, was convicted on Friday in a rape case by a special Central Bureau of Investigation court in Haryana’s Panchkula town.

Ram Rahim, who was expected to fly to Panchkula, instead drove down in a luxury SUV on roads that were lined by his supporters who waved to him. He left his sprawling dera in Sirsa in a motorcade of over a 100 vehicles.

It had been a tense few days in Haryana, Chandigarh and Punjab as the date for announcing the verdict neared. Ram Rahim’s followers had begun to pour into Panchkula since the past couple of days and they were camping in different sectors. It was estimated that nearly 2 lakh supporters had arrived ahead of the judgement.

The authorities were concerned that violence may break out after the verdict due to which Panchkula had been turned into a virtual garrison town.

The police and the para military troopers patrolled the area. The army too was called in to ensure that law and order was maintained.

The railways on Friday cancelled over 200 Haryana-bound trains.

Ram Rahim has been accused of sexually exploiting two women at the Dera Sacha Sauda in Sirsa, which is about 250 km from Haryana capital Chandigarh.

The CBI had lodged the FIR against him in 2002. The action had been initiated after an anonymous letter addressed to then prime minister, purportedly written by a sadhvi, came to light. The sadhvi alleged that she and other sadhvis were raped. She had also sought an inquiry.

Ram Rahim steadfastly maintained that he is innocent.

The self-styled godman has a massive following and has also acted in two movies.

Comments

Other News

‘World’s biggest festival of democracy’ begins

The much-awaited General Elections of 2024, billed as the world’s biggest festival of democracy, began on Friday with Phase 1 of polling in 102 Parliamentary Constituencies (the highest among all seven phases) in 21 States/ UTs and 92 Assembly Constituencies in the State Assembly Elections in Arunach

A sustainability warrior’s heartfelt stories of life’s fleeting moments

Fit In, Stand Out, Walk: Stories from a Pushed Away Hill By Shailini Sheth Amin Notion Press, Rs 399

What EU’s AI Act means for the world

The recent European Union (EU) policy on artificial intelligence (AI) will be a game-changer and likely to become the de-facto standard not only for the conduct of businesses but also for the way consumers think about AI tools. Governments across the globe have been grappling with the rapid rise of AI tool

Indian Railways celebrates 171 years of its pioneering journey

The Indian Railways is celebrating 171 glorious years of its existence. Going back in time, the first train in India (and Asia) ran between Mumbai and Thane on April 16, 1853. It was flagged off from Boribunder (where CSMT stands today). As the years passed, the Great Indian Peninsula Railway which ran the

Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: How to connect businesses with people

7 Chakras of Management: Wisdom from Indic Scriptures By Ashutosh Garg Rupa Publications, 282 pages, Rs 595

ECI walks extra mile to reach out to elderly, PwD voters

In a path-breaking initiative, the Election Commission of India (ECI), for the first time in a Lok Sabha Election, has provided the facility of home voting for the elderly and Persons with Disabilities in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Voters above 85 years of age and Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) with 4